


Mao Mao Pure Love Valentine's day

by RedRiver24816



Category: Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Falling In Love, Kissing, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, True Love, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:34:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 10,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22515562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedRiver24816/pseuds/RedRiver24816
Summary: This is a series of short stories about Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart, most specifically the ship of Badgermao. All of the themes of each chapter are based around a prompt list made by "Mao Mao's Mother." I'll be posting from Frebuary 1st to February 14th.
Relationships: Badgerclops/Mao Mao Mao
Comments: 16
Kudos: 77





	1. The time we met.

**Author's Note:**

> As a last note, this series will be more experimental than I usually do, so if you've read my previous work, then expect more dialogue than normal.

To say that he was panicking would be an understatement. There was fire all around him, a bunch of rocks on his foot, and a menacing guy with a sword facing him. It was the end, Badgerclops regretted every single choice that lead him there, in such a bad spot to die. Suddenly, after the stranger swung his katana, he felt his limb relieved. Opening his eyes, saw a hand, offering salvation. He grabbed it without thinking twice.

“I appreciate your honesty, friend. How about we work, together, to reinstate those moral standards.” Said with a husky voice, firmly extended his arm.

The badger stared at him, stunned by the hero’s confidence. Wondering why would anyone bother saving a thief. “Oh, I’m so chuffed!” Holding him tight, moved by the feeling of comfort the guy gave off. ”Did I used that right--chuffed? Oh, who cares!?”

The cat was lacking air, the big one’s strength was something to behold. In a desperate attempt to breath, he jolted to get his attention.

“Oh, right.” Carefully placing him in the ground. “Heh...” Scratching the back of his neck while a slight blush appeared on his face.

His breathing was loud and heavy. “...Just.” Took a deep breath. “Don’t do that again.” After getting back his composure, he noticed the fire began to surround them. “Ahem, as our first task, help me put out this fire.”

“Sure thing! Boss~” Said in a kittenish tone, placing his hand under his chin. 

He raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure you want to act all frisky now? The fire will probably kill someone.”

"Ah, yeah- I mean no! 'course not..." Badgerclops was nervous, he wanted to help the stranger, but there was something inside him that didn’t allow to think straight. He extended the robo-arm to a nearby tree and offered a hand to the hero. "Here." The cat grabbed it, and as soon as he did, the arm began to retract itself, making them leap above the fire. Landing in the ground, safe and sound.

"Wow, I didn't know robotic enhancement could do that."

"If you thought  _ that _ was cool, then check  _ this _ out!" The arm turned into a giant fan, and it began to spin quickly. The air produced by it extinguished the fire in a matter of seconds. "PRETTY COOL, HUH?" His voice distorted by the fan.

"WHAT?" Answered with his ears covered.

"I SAID-- Hold on." He retrieved back the device. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"I mean, sure. But why would you even need a fan  _ that _ big?"

"For the summer, duh!"

"Wow, not even five minutes and you’ve already tested my patience." Mumbled to himself.

"So… what do we do now boss?"

"First off, My name is Mao Mao, not ' _ boss' _ or whatever. Second you haven't told me  _ your _ name."

"Oh you’re right! The name's Badgerclops."

"A...Are you serious?"

"Yeah."

“As in ‘Badger’ and Cyclo--”

“That’s mean dude! I’m like,  _ really _ self-aware of my eye.” Crossed his arms, annoyed by the insensitive question. A single tear was resting above his cheek. As usual, he was overreacting.

"...Right. Let's get going then." Mao Mao walked to the road, picked up his bag and kept walking.

Clops was standing in place, until he realised he had to follow Mao. "Oh, wait for me man!" He caught up quickly, but decided to keep his distance by walking behind him.

Some minutes of silence passed. Walking behind him, Badgerclops noticed something strange, the lack of a tail. He tried looking for it again, moving his head and peeking from under the hero's cape.

“You lost anything?”

“N-No, I was just--”

“Don’t.”

“Huh?”

“If you were going ask me about  _ that _ , then you can forget about it.” His tone was serious, but Badgerclops felt sorrow behind it. 

“Listen, if you wanna--”

“I said no… thank you.”

Some more time passed.

“So… Where are we going to?”

“Next town.”

“And that is…?”

“I dunno, never been here before.”

“Oh, that makes-- Wait! You don’t even know where you’re going?”

“A hero doesn’t need a place to go, Badgerclops. A hero goes to where he is needed.”

“How do you now there’s even trouble there?”

“Those guys back there were trouble, correct? That means my hero instincts were right.”

“You didn’t know the Thicket thieves were there?”

“Who?”

“The Thicket thieves, the guys I was with a moment ago? The ones you beat up?”

“...Who?”

“Hold on a second” Badgerclops jumped in front of Mao Mao. “Let me get this straight. You’ve been walking around aimlessly, going from town to town without a map or knowledge of where you’re headed. You beat up bad guys who get in your way. Not only  _ that _ , but you also have been doing this alone, I’m assuming for some time now but… How are you still alive?!”

“Okay, It’s not ‘ _ aimlessly _ ’ I’ve been following the road. I don’t need a map, I can handle  _ any _ treat. And lastly, I’m not alone, I have Geraldine with me!”

“Who?”

“My katana.” He unsheathed the weapon and showed it to the badger. “See? I’ve been doing things like this for quite a while now, I can take care of myself.”

“Oh god I fell for a psycho.” Said disappointed at himself, looking at the sky for a second.

“Fe--Fell?!” Reacted dazed, getting red all of a sudden.

“Listen, we have to change things up.” Completely ignoring his partner’s reaction. “From now on, we need to plan ahead. Once we make it to town, we should look for insight in monsters or bad guys around the area. From there, we should get some supplies  _ and _ somewhere to rest. After  _ that _ we’ll be ready to keep on fighting baddies.”

“Hah! You really I need any of that? I’m--” As he was talking, his stomach growled. “Y--YOU DIDN’T HEAR ANYTHING! OKAY?!”

“Yeah, sure tough guy.” Chuckled as he leaned over to meet his eye with Mao Mao’s. “But I’m serious about what I said before. We are a team now, I can’t leave my friend doing all this dangerous stuff like nothing.”

“...Fine...” Turning his face around to avoid seeing his partner’s, slightly blushed.


	2. Love letters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For this chapter I went with *drum roll* Poetry! Yay! It’s bad but whatever, I liked it.

It was an slow morning at HQ. Mao Mao overslept and Adorabat was watching reruns of Kendo ken, lazily sitting in the couch. “Hey, Adorabat.” Said yawning and stretching his arms. “Have you seen Badgerclops?”

“No. Actually I didn’t see him when I woke up.”

“Oh, okay.” Answered as he went to the kitchen. He opened the fridge, and from it, a piece of paper fell. “Huh?” Mao Mao bent to pick it up, it was a folded paper that said For: Mao Mao, From: Badgerclops. He wondered why did his partner do this, was it something he could only say on paper? Was it a note detailing that he would run away, to later comeback before diner? Whatever it was, he opened it.

That cat.

There was once a cat,

not very great,

nor really smart.

This cat was black,

just like the night.

Like a star filled sky.

With eyes that could see through my soul.

Green, 

like an emerald I once stole.

The cat was handsome,

crazy, weird, awful.

And lonesome.

He was a handfull.

He was a pain.

And yet,

I fell in love with him.

He gave me a home,

a purpose to go on.

He gave me love,

the one he never got.

I love that cat,

and he loves me.

What else could I ask for?

… maybe a new PC...

-Badgerclops.

Mao’s face was flooded with bittersweet tears. He tried hiding them, but he let out a few, quiet sobs. 

Adorabat heard him cry, and went to check up on him. “Are you okay Mao Mao? Did you hit your paw with the table again?”

He turned to see her, hiding the note and trying to get back his composure. “...I’m--fine...Adorabat.” Replied with a big smile, the fur of his face completely wet from the tears.

“If you say so...” She returned to the couch. 

He let out a big sigh, and put the paper in his belt. “I can’t let him have all the fun.” He smirked to himself as he stood up, and walked to the bedroom.

Later, at noon. Badgerclops came home and saw Adorabat drawing in the couch. “Sup!”

“Oh, hey there!” She flew towards the Badger and hugged him, holding a piece of paper. “Mao Mao asked me to give you this.” She handed the letter. “He said you should read it and go to the dojo.” She went back to the couch, and colored some of her doodles.

He was impressed, never expected Mao to write a letter, let alone to him.

Lost.

I was lost.

In my house, mind,

heart.

I was lost.

By my family, by my blood.

I was on my own.

I was found.

By a friend, by a promise.

I wasn’t alone.

I was lost, again.

By a mission, by a friend.

I was on my own, once more.

I was found.

By a thief, by a woman.

I wasn’t alone.

I lost myself.

By my fault, by my stubbornness

I was on my own, yet again.

I was lost, in an eternal fog.

Without a home.

Left alone.

I was lost,

but you found me.

You held me, loved me.

Saved me.

Your light pierced through my fog.

Your love gave me a home.

You never left me alone.

I was found,

By you.

I was found,

By your love.

-Mao Mao.

Badgerclops’ eye was all red, about to cry. “Damn… that guy.” He hold back the tears and went in the dojo. He didn’t see him, but he said cheerfully. “I saw your letter dude. I have to say, I never guessed you had it in you!”

Mao tackled him from behind, and hopped on the badger’s back. “Don’t you make me  _ cry _ like that again!”

“Oh--Hey! Chill!” 

The two of them fought for a bit before they fell asleep, together, in the dojo.


	3. First date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took longer than I planned, but here it is.

Months later after the team assembled, the duo were in a city, fighting a small group of bandits. People were gathering around to see the spectacle. Mao Mao was clashing his sword with the bad guys’ armors, Badgerclops was beating them with his own fists. In the end, none of them escaped, and the duo stood victorious over their unconscious bodies. The people clapped, making our heroes blush by the massive celebration of their work. “Thank you, thank you.” Spoke Mao Mao while getting closer to the crowd, smirking. ”We are just a pair of humble heroes, that go around doing good. No need to be amazed by our abilities--”

“We are low on cash, so if you guys could give us some, that’d be cool.” Interrupted Badgerclops, opening a white bag. The people around got closer, and gave them things like money, jewelry and others of the sort.

After counting the goods and taking the guys with the cops, they were walking down the street. “Dude, these people are  _ rich! _ A few more jobs in here and we could afford our own gem cell, you know the things I could to with that!”

“Mhm...”

“Hey, Mao?”

“Aha...”

“Are you even listening?”

“I’m sorry, what were we talking about?”

“That’s mean, man!”

“Sorry! I don’t know what happened.”

“Are you okay bud?”

“Yeah… I just need to rest.”

“Tired already?”

“It’s noon, right? We should go to an inn.”

“I don’t think there’s one of those here.”

“Why not?”

“This is a  _ city, _ Mao Mao.”

“So?”

“There’s hotels, not inns.”

“...Is there a difference?”

“Course! In a hotel you…hmm...You know what? You’re right, it’s the same thing.” 

Mao Mao shrugged some.

“I heard from some of the people here that there’s this really fancy one, around...” He scanned through the area with his eye. “There!” He extended his arm, pointing at the hotel’s direction.

“Let’s go then.”

After walking some, they arrived to a giant building. It was yellow with red window frames. It also had a pair of big spinning glass doors on the entrance. “Hey, Mao. Check this out.” Badgerclops began to toy with the door, running in circles within it.

“Cool! Let me do that too!” Mao jumped to the other door and played with it as well. 

They kept doing this until a Porter came. “Ahem.”

They stopped at the same time, jumping out of the doors. “Sorry!”

“Do you gentlemen have any business here?”

“Of course! We would like to get a room for the night.” Said Badgerclops.

“Well, this is a hotel after all.” Chuckled. “But may I ask how are you planning to pay for it?”

“Here.” Badgerclops showed a bundle of bills. “I’m sure this will be enough for a night.”

The man smiled. “Well then. Please, come with me.” He led the way to the front desk.

Mao was quiet, he was looking around the place. The word extravagant was perfectly fitting for the place.

“These fine gentlemen would like to have a room for the night.”

“Understood.” Replied the receptionist. “Our normal prices for a basic room start at...”

Mao Mao was spacing out. He was thinking about what should they do once they were on the room. Take a bath would be fine, but going to sleep right away could also be cool. He stared at a bunch of papers in the desk. He saw a pamphlet about the hotel’s special dinner of the day.

“...Mao Mao?”

“Huh?” He turned to the Badger.

“I said, we should go to the room now. Seriously, what’s up with you today?”

“I don’t know, let’s just go.”

They opened the room and saw a bed, close to the bathroom. A window, with a view to the streets, a mini refrigerator and plasma tv. Badgerclops hopped in the bed “Uff, this feels  _ perfect! _ ”

Mao Mao stared at him for a solid ten seconds. “Do you want to have dinner with me?”

“HUH?!” Badgerclops choked with his own saliva.

“I haven’t eaten well lately. Maybe that’s why I’ve been spacing out...”

Badgerclops didn’t hear that, unfortunately. Mao’s words were stuck on his head. ‘We’ve eaten together before, but this time he invited me. Now?! In a fancy hotel?! With fancy food?! A… Are we dating now?’

Mao Mao began to take his cape and gloves off.

“WHAT?!”

Mao Mao gave a quick step back. “What happened?”

“W--WHY ARE YOU TAKING OFF YOUR CLOTHES DUDE!”

“...I told you I was going to take a bath. Are you the one spacing out now?”

“Uh--Yeah--I…” He turned around. After he heard the bathroom’s door close, he tried to think about what his partner said. ‘Okay...He wants to have dinner with us, that’s normal. Two adults having dinner together. In a fancy restaurant. In a hotel. Where they’re going to sleep in the same…bed.’ His face turned red. ‘W-why does my face feels hot?! We sleep together everyday! How’s this any different?’

Time passed, after Mao Mao took his bath, Badgerclops took one too. Mao Mao put on his clothes and went straight to the dining room. 

He was reading the menu, it had a bunch of plates that sounded like tongue twisters. He wondered what was taking Badgerclops so long, after all, he hated baths.

“Sorry for the wait.” It was him, wearing a tuxedo made to measure, with a pink eyepatch. He grabbed the chair in front of Mao Mao and sat, staring at him with a dumb smile.

He was surprised by the Badger’s attire. “What’s up with the costume?”

“C-Costume?”

A waiter appeared. “Good night gentlemen, what would you like to order?”

“I’ll take the…uh, whatever this is.” He pointed at the name in the menu.

“Okay. What will  _ you _ have sir?”

“Is there any special food or something?”

“Well, today the executive dinner is a five meals course with--”

“Yeah, yeah. One of those.”

“Understood.” He wrote all down and left.

“...So, any idea about where should we go to tomorrow?”

“Oh, I’ve checked. It seems like there’s a town filled with monsters up nor-- Hey! Don’t make me change the question! Why are you in your normal clothes?”

“Because they’re comfortable…?”

“That’s not the point, we are on a date!”

“Date?!”

“YOU DIDN’T INVITE ON A DATE?”

“WHO SAID ANYTHING OF A DATE!”

“YOU DID.”

“NO, I DID NOT!”

“WHY ARE YOU SCREAMING AT ME!”

“YOU STARTED”

“NO, YOU STARTED--”

“Ahem.” A different waiter from the one who took their orders approached. “You’re disturbing the other customers. If you don’t stay quiet I’ll have to ask you to leave.”

Mao Mao turned to see the people in the other tables, staring at them. “R-Right...”

“Sorry...” Said Badgerclops. They looked at each other, just to look away the moment they made eye contact. They kept the silent treatment, even after the food came.

Mao Mao was finished with his food by now, and he wasn’t in the mood for more. Badgerclops was eating his third meal, however, he was eating way messier than usual. It was a juicy steak, so most of the white fur in his face was covered in a gravy juice. This made Mao feel a little bothered, since the Badger showed no intention of cleaning that. He grabbed his napkin and began to clean his partner’s face.

“...What are you--”

“Isn’t it obvious? I hate when your face looks like that, all messy and dirty.”

He felt his face getting warmer, not just from Mao Mao rubbing it, but from the blush that was appearing on it. After the little guy was done, he felt the need to apologize. “I’m sorry for making a big deal out of this. I should’ve known that you  _ just _ wanted to eat something with me.”

“Well, we are always together, you know?”

“Huh?”

“...If we were going to date--That we’re  _ definitely not _ doing right now.” He said as he looked away, blushed. “...I would make it extra special for you. Not just dinner in some elegant place.”

Badgerclops smiled. “I’ll look forward to that.”


	4. Stargazing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angst... yeah.

It was a warm noon. The crew took care of the sky pirates earlier that day, and there were no sign of monsters lurking around town. They were all sitting in front of the TV, watching whatever they could find. Upon settling on a channel, the transmission cut to a news report by Scoops. "Good day citizens of Pure Heart Valley! We have a special announcement. The shining star phenomenon will take place... Today! So get ready your favourite snacks and get a good spot to see the amazing stars!"

Adorabat dropped her pencil. "Wait, was that today?!"

"What's that about?" Said Badgerclops.

"Is a really, really special thing that happens once a year. The sky gets filled with the most beautiful, shining stars ever!"

"That sounds pretty nice." Said Mao Mao.

"Yeah! it's so cool."

"So... When it’s going to start?"

"Well, it's usually at night, around midnight."

"Don't you have a test tomorrow?"

"But it's pretty basic stuff! I don't even need to study."

"Adorabat, your education is important. A hero would never let something like that aside."

"Oh, bummer."

"Don't worry dude, I can record it you."

"No, it's okay. There's always next year!"

“Yeah, right Mao Mao?”

“Heh, sure… next year.” Mao looked down with a thoughtful look on his face.

Seeing his partner react like that, Badgerclops changed the conversation. “Adorabat, wanna go buy ice cream with me?”

“Yeah! I  _ love _ ice cream.” 

It was after the door closed that Mao Mao realized he was alone, but it was for the better. Hearing those words was a wake up call for him. ‘Sure, we are going to protect this valley… but. Now that I think about it, how long have we’ve been here?’ Mao’s thoughts were interrupted by the TV. Some show with really loud noises began to play, making Mao Mao get out of his own head to turn off the device. Finding himself in a complete silence, he chose to prepare everything for the night. He decided to make something special for the night. From the dojo, he climbed the house’s rooftop and cleaned up the place. There wasn’t really anything there, just some dust and dried leafs. Then, he grabbed a picnic blanket that he confiscated from Chubbum, placing it on the center of the roof. Since his deputies would come back with Ice cream, he thought of making waffles.

Time had passed, it was about 9:40. Badgerclops and Adorabat came home with a bunch of shopping bags. “We’re home.”

Mao rushed to see them, holding a big plate filled with waffles. “What took you guys so long?”

“Adorabat asked me to buy some pencils and one thing let to another. So we have food for like a whole year and a lot of art supplies.”

“What’s that?!” Asked the bat looking at the plate, drooling.

“Oh, I made these for the Ice cream.”

“Can I have some?” Said as she put on sad doggy eyes.

“Sure, fetch!” He threw the waffle up in the air, she ate it in a single bite.

“Yummy!”

“Hey, don’t let me out of the fun!” Said the Badger resentful, making a face.

“How could I  _ possibly do that _ ” He threw another pastry, this time at his friend’s face.

He ate it right away. “Hmm~ So good.”

They all shared a laugh and watched some TV before the big event.

Time passed, it was ten minutes before midnight and Adorabat was asleep. The two buddies where in the roof, sitting close to each other, looking at the sky. “This place has the best views I’ve seen.” Said Badgerclops.

“Yeah...”

“What’s wrong?”

“What do you mean?”

“You always get like this when you feel bad. Just tell me.”

“...Are we going to stay here next year?”

“...Like, alive or--”

“No! I meant here, in Pure Heart Valley.”

“What about it?”

“It’s just that… How long have we been here?”

“About 6 months.”

“Half a year?!”

“I said  _ about _ , but what’s wrong with that?”

“I don’t feel like I’ve changed in the slightest in all this time. What if I never leave this place and never become legendary? Is my whole legend as a hero taking care of a bunch of babies? How can I call myself a--”

“Mao, we’ve talked about this. You  _ are _ a hero, you don’t  _ need  _ to live up to your dad’s expectations. You just need to be happy!”

“How?!”

Badgerclops grabbed Mao Mao’s hands, and got his face close to his. “Look at me, look at this house, look at Adorabat, look at the whole kingdom! You think that the old Mao Mao that found me in some rocks could have all of this! Your legend-- no, your life is just beginning and you are already amazing!”

He remained quiet, looking at the guy’s eye. “...Thank you.” He took a deep breath. “You’re right, you’re always right.” He stared at him, blushing and smiling.

The Badger gave him a smile too, but it was cut by a loud chanting coming from the village. He looked up to see the most beautiful lights.

Mao Mao looked up to, amazed by the display of the sky. After a few seconds, he looked back to his partner. “I’m thankful I got to share this view with you.” He stole a kiss from the Badger’s lips.

The big guy stared at him. “Me too Mao Mao.”


	5. Spring bouquet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had some complications while writing this, so it's going to be shorter than usual. Tell me what you think!

It was a nice day at Pure Heart Valley, the sun was nice and warm, and the soft breezes of air were at the right temperature. The flowers had bloomed, and the air was carrying a pleasant smell over the whole kingdom. An essence capable of taming any beast. Our heroes were sitting on the doorstep, chilling with some cold soda. However, Adorabat was nowhere to be seen, since she had to go to school.

"You know, Badgerclops. I love this place." Said the cat as he took a sip of his drink.

"Yeah, it’s really nice." He took a deep breath. “We should pick up flowers.”

“Why?”

“Isn’t that what couples do?”

“I mean… sure.” He said looking at the ground, trying to cover his blushing.

“Then let’s go get some!” The badger hopped out of his comfortable position, placing aside his drink. He then walked to the aerocycle.

“Okay, why not.” Mao drank the rest of his soda and squashed the empty can. He threw it from across the door and to a trash bin inside the house. “Yes!” He raised his arm as a sign of victory.

“What are you waiting for? I’m not getting any prettier here~” Said putting his hands in his face, rubbing his cheeks.

“You’re saying that as if you were pretty to begin with.” Answered in a sassy fashion.

“Now that’s just mean!” He crossed his arms and looked away, pretending to be annoyed.

“You know you love me, don’t play dumb!” He gripped the aerocycle handles’

“Hey! Just because I like kissing you, that doesn’t mean-- AHHH!” When he was about to finish his sentence, the cat had started the vehicle at top speed. And so, they flew into the distance, looking for the prettiest of flowers.

They arrived at a nice hill, covered in flowers of all colors and sizes. There were  Tulips, Lilies, Narcissus, you name it! But around all of them, there were a bunch of odd looking roses. The reason for their peculiarity, was that they were missing parts. Some of them didn’t have thorns, some of them didn’t have leaves, so on and so on. Mao Mao was the first to notice them, so he decided to give them to his partner. ”Hey! What is that?” He pointed at the opposite direction of the flowers.

“Where?” The badger began to look around, hoping to find whatever his friend was talking about.

“There! Can’t you see it?” He was slowly walking backwards, untying his belt thingy to wrap the flowers.

“What are you talking about man! Is this a prank, cause I only see the flowers.” He was utterly confused, having no idea what the cat meant.

Mao Mao cut each of every irregularity, to make the bouquet all the more special. “I’m telling you, it’s right there!” He faked a more aggressive tone to keep is lover distracted. He finished wrapping up the roses and approached the big guy, slow and steady.

“Look man, I think you’re just bullying me now.” As he finished his sentence, he turned to the cat. To his surprise, a bouquet of flowers was waiting for him. “What the--”

“Surprise!” Mao Mao was holding the bouquet, standing on his tiptoes.

“Oh--Wow… Thank you~” He blushed, seeing his partner trying his hardest not to fall. He grabbed the roses and stared at them, noticing the all of their defects.

“They reminded me of us, you know.”

“How so?”

“Well, they’re not perfect, some of them are missing really important parts. But… you know… They are still beautiful.”

“Oww… That’s the cutest thing you’ve said in like, ever!” He let out a small tear, caused by such sweet words. He bowed and kissed Mao Mao in the forehead.


	6. Put your head on my shoulder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another shorty but here it is!

It was late by night yet again. Badgerclops was doing some maintenance on the aerocycle. It was pretty basic stuff, but it would take him some time. He was sitting on the floor, listening to his music. Some chill tunes but mostly soft hip hop. He shook his head to the tunes and crooned, enjoying himself.

Mao Mao dropped from above, with some sleepy eyes on his face. “Are you still working on that?” He yawned.

“Yeah, but don’t worry. I’m about to finish with this--” He yawned as well. “--Aw man, look at what you did!”

“Heh.” The cat gave a gentle smile, and sat alongside his friend. “So...what exactly are you doing now?”

“Checking the lightbulb.”

“Don’t you like, always do that?”

“Yep.”

“Why?”

“Because not all of us can see in the dark Mao Mao. Duh.”

“No, I know that. But why do you replace it about every day?”

“I don’t know, why do you eat every day?”

“...Because I need the energy?”

“Exactly. This thing sucks lightbulbs like crazy.”

“How?”

“I’m not sure, I was actually about to check that. You know, before you came here with your, quote on quote--” He made the gesture, dropping his screwdriver by accident. “ _ questions” _

“Wh-What do you mean?” The cat was caught off guard, he unintentionally raised his ears.

“Don’t play dumb Mao Mao, you know all of this.”

“So?”

“You just wanted to check up on my, don’t you?” He booped his friend’s nose.

“I-I wanted to… Well, you got me.” He looked to the ground, sort of ashamed and blushed.

“I knew it!”

“...So, what do we do know?”

“Well, I was going to stop for today, but suddenly, I feel like working some more.” The badger smiled in a playful manner.

“Oh come on! What if a monster appears tomorrow? Or the Sky Pirates go berserk on the sweetypies! Let’s get some sleep.”

“No!”

“Why not!”

“Coz I feel like annoying you right now.” He leaned, getting his face closer to Mao Mao’s.

“Augh… Do what you want.” He pushed away his partner’s face. “But I’m not leaving without you!” He furiously smacked Badgerclops’ shoulder with his head. He forgot that Badgerclops right arm was made out of metal, so he injured himself.

“Well, you do you.” He kept working like nothing.

Some time passed, Badgerclops finished sooner than he expected. “Well, that does it for today. Let’s go Mao--” He turned to his right shoulder, but he found his friend asleep. The cat was quietly sleeping, his soft breathing and the way his chest puffed was the cutest. He was a loud maniac by day, but he was surprisingly adorable when he was asleep. Badgerclops wondered when was the last time he had the guy like that. He smiled and carefully grabbed him, resting the cat’s head on his chest. As the big guy climbed the ladder, he noticed Mao Mao holding tight to his arm. Since he didn’t want to wake up the little guy, he got on his own bunk and slept with him.


	7. One milkshake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to rush this one so I could have it done for today, but I’d say it came out good enough. Tell me what you think!

The day was slow at HQ. Badgerclops was building a card castle, Adorabat was watching TV and Mao Mao meditating. The big guy was about to finish his magnum opus, as someone bursted through the door. This made a wind wave that destroyed the castle. It was Kevin who opened the door, stamping his face against the ground afterwards.”What the heck man!”

“You broke my concentration, you little runt!”

“Yeah! Now I have no idea what… uh… You didn’t let me watch my show!”

All the sheriff’s department began to scold Kevin, who was trying to get back up. “I-I’m weawwy sowwy.” Said the little guy as he was about to cry. “I came hewe to fiwe a wepowt--”

“And who exactly made ‘Mr. I don’t know how to knock a door’ so angry?” Replied Mao Mao, clearly annoyed.

“Weww, thewe’s dis nyew food pwace on teh pwaza that--”

“Did you say _new_ _food_?” Asked Badgerclops, really excited for that last part. “Mao Mao, we have to go! I need to know what sort of thing do they sell!”

“I guess we could give it a try.” He answered, scratching his chin.

“But I--”

“SHUDDUP KEVIN! Adorabat, arrest the troublemaker.” He finished his sentence in his husky, intimidating tone.

“Sure thing!” She placed a wing on her forehead and pulled out a couple of handcuffs. She arrested Kevin on the spot. “I’ll take him to the dungeon!” She pushed Kevin outside the house.

“Wait, what did she--”

“Who cares man! Let’s go already!” Screamed the Badger, sitting outside on the aerocycle.

“How did you--”

“Are you coming or what?”

“...Whatever.” He hopped onto the vehicle and flew away with his boyfriend.

Upon arriving, they saw Marion leaving the place with a smoothie in her hand. She seemed annoyed for some reason. They parked the aerocycle close to the establishment and entered. The place looked like one of those cafe’s from movies, but the bar top was empty. Hiss noises could be heard coming from the kitchen, separated by some beaded curtains. “Hello?”

“Is somebody here? I’m like, really hungry right now.”

A familiar face appeared, screaming his lungs out, holding a knife covered in some red liquid. “WHO’S THERE!” It was Pinky, dressed up as a chef. “OH, HI SHERIFF.” He quickly hid the knife. “ARE YOU HERE TO CHECK OUT MY TOTALLY LEGIT BUSINESS?”

“I was, but would you mind telling me what were you--”

“Yes hello, I would like to order something.” Badgerclops interrupted his friend, grabbing a sit in one of the tables close to the windows.

Mao Mao wanted to interrogate Pinky, but like his friend said, he was kind of hungry. “Well, what sort of things do you sell here?”

“OH, YOU KNOW, THE USUAL STUFF. PANCAKES, SUNNY SIDE EGGS WITH BACON AND OTHER STUFF LIKE THAT.”

“So, you only make breakfast meals?”

“IT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY SHERIFF! BESIDES, I DON’T TELL YOU HOW TO DO  _ YOUR _ JOB, RIGHT?”

“Well, we’ll take a some sunny side--”

“I’M OUT OF EGGS, SORRY.”

“Then, what about pancakes--”

“I ATE ALL OF THE DOUGH.” He burped loudly.

Pinky’s attitude was starting to annoy Mao Mao, but Badgerclops had an idea. “Do you have milkshakes?”

“SURE THING!” He dashed back to the kitchen with the knife in his hand.

“So... Do you come here often?~” He cracked a joke to light up the mood, since he knew Mao Mao could get in the way of his ‘meal.’

“Very funny.” He said with a emotionless tone.

“Really?” He replied, playing along.

“... Shut up.” He sat in front of him. The table was kind of small, so he was close to him.

“Oh my~ When was the last time we were on a date?”

“...Are we on a date right now?” He asked, blushing.

“Yep. Wanna make out?” He closed the gap between his face and Mao Mao’s, getting uncomfortably close.

“I--UH--EM--”

“ONE MILKSHAKE FOR THE LOVEBIRDS!” Pinky came out of nowhere, placing the drink on the table and running up to the kitchen. The drink was enormous, it was chocolate flavored with a lot of whipped cream and strawberries on top. It was surprisingly nice to the eye, knowing who made it, it was certainly shocking.

Mao Mao grabbed a straw and began to drink, avoiding visual contact with his partner.

“Hey! No fair.” He grabbed the other straw and drank as well. Before they knew it, they were sharing a milkshake, which tasted amazing. Eventually, Mao Mao’s eyes met with his friends. They stared at each other dumbfounded, both began to blush. It was a romantic scene, and it lasted some time. Once they finished all of the chocolate, and all that was left was the whipped cream and strawberries. Mao Mao grabbed one, covered it in the cream and ate it. The cream was also really good, with a soft texture. Badgerclops ate one as well. When he grabbed the second one, he fed it to Mao Mao. The cat played along and fed his partner, playing around with the cream. They kept this for a while, giggling and joking. When the last strawberry came, Mao Mao did the unthinkable. He placed it in his lips, and made a gesture to Badgerclops, telling him to share it with him. They shared a soft, brief kiss that ended with a piece of strawberry in each other’s mouth.

Pinky appeared once again. “HERE’S THE BILL.”

They shared such a nice moment, all thanks to the pink gremlin. So they thought of giving him a tip. But upon looking at the bill, it read: “TOTAL: ALL OF YOUR MONEY.”

They saw it and laughed, but soon realized that their wallets were missing.


	8. Blanket fort

It was saturday, late night already. Mao Mao was parking the aerocycle outside the house, he was visibly tired. The cat had a long, stressful and plain awful day. For starters, Adorabat felt sick, so Badgerclops had to stay home to take care of her, thus, Mao was doing hero work alone. The king’s basement creatures escaped, so he had to chase them down, kill them and clean the mess. Pinky made a series of havoc all over town, Lucky went missing, and many other sweetypie antics he didn’t want to remember. But alas, he was back home. He noticed all the lights were off. ‘they’re sleeping’ he thought. He opened the door and saw a strange figure in the darkness, some fainting lights could be seen on the figure. Mao Mao unsheathed his blade and turned on the lights. He was ready to shred the thing, but upon looking at it, it seemed… odd. It was a weird, giant white cloth, placed were the couch should be, surrounded by pillows. It also seemed open, like it was pointing at the tv. He heard sounds of crunching, which just made him feel confused.

“Mao Mao, turn off the lights, please.” The voice of the Badger came from said cloth, which puzzled our hero even more.

“What’s going on?”

“We are playing video games!” Answered Adorbat cheerfully as usual, but with a deeper tone. “Turn off the lights and join us!”

Mao turned them off and clumsily made his way inside the thing. He saw his deputies playing with their console, eating chips and candies. “Could you guys explain me what this is?”

“It’s a blanket fortress!”

“...And what is that?”

Badgerclops paused the game. “Dude, you’ve never been in one of these before?”

“What? A tent?”

“No, it’s more like… Well, close, but you do things here.”

“Like what?”

“You play games, watch movies, eat snacks. You have fun!” Answered the little girl.

“Yeah… I guess I’m going to sleep now.” He stepped out of the fort, but was stopped by Badgerclops.

“Wait! Why don’t you play with us?”

“Look, I just want to get some rest--”

“Please, Mao Mao! Don’t you want to spend time with us?” Said Adorabat as she placed on the cat’s head.

“...Fine, but NO video games. I can’t stand the noises right now.” He went back in, with Adorabat on his head and sat close to Badgerclops.

The big guy picked up the remote and turned on the TV. After a few minutes of searching, they settled on a channel.

The movie was over by now, it was a cheesy action movie, it was fine but nothing amazing. Adorabat was asleep, in a pillow on Mao Mao’s lap. After the credits rolled, Mao tried reaching for the remote, but he ended up grabbing Badgerclops hand instead. 

The badger noticed this and joked about it. “Oh my~”

“S-shut up! Just give the controller.” He didn’t let go Clops’ hand, but demanded the item in a quiet voice.

“Here.” He offered it to the cat.

“Thank yo--” 

Badgerclops swifted away the remote. “I’ll give it to you... for a kiss~”

“...You’re kidding, right?”

“Aw, c’mon. Pretty please?” He got close to Mao Mao, making a kiss gesture with his lips.

Mao Mao pecked Badgerclops. “Happy now?”

“Yes~” He gave him the remote and they all went to sleep.


	9. Chocolate boxes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so, for this chapter ignore the fact that cats and badgers can’t eat chocolate. I know I wrote in the milkshake one that they drank chocolate but I just wanted say it since I didn’t do that last time. Ignore that this chapter is also a little shorter it’s just that I’m running out of ideas and excuses for this two idiots to hang out.

Mao Mao and Badgerclops were watching TV, nothing all that exciting but not boring either. Adorabat was with them, doodling in some paper sheets. All of a sudden, the Badger slapped the couch and leaned forward. “Chocolate.”

The others looked at each other in confusion, Mao Mao decided to say something. “...What?”

“I forgot! I bought you some chocolate last month, but I forgot where I put it so I never gave it to you. But  _ now _ I remember.”

“Okay, how nice of you to buy me chocolate, and then forget to give it to me. But why did it hit you just now?”

“I dunno, but it’s under my bunk.” He stood up and went to the bedroom.

“Can I have some?!”

“...Let’s see how they are first, okay?”

A few seconds later, the Badger came with a squashed, opened heart shaped box, he placed it on the coffee table. Surprisingly, the chocolates didn’t look half bad, for being a month old that is. “Sweet!” He grabbed one and ate it like nothing, it was kind of sour but he didn’t mind.

“I want one!” She grabbed one too and as she was about to eat it, Mao Mao stole it.

“Hey! Let me check if they’re not poisonous.”

“But Badgerclops is fine! I’m sure I can eat some old candies.”

“Badgerclops is Badgerclops, the guy eats food off the floor.”

“That’s mean!” He said as he ate another chocolate. “But you’re right.” Added with his mouth full.

“Besides, if you end up having an stomachache, I’ll have to take you to the doctor, okay?” He gave a slightly annoyed glance.

“FINE! But next time, I’ll eat chocolates until I explode!” She sat down on the couch, and began to cross out her doodles in frustration.

Mao Mao stared at the chocolate and ate it. Not bad but he has seen better.

“Mhm~ So good.” He was chewing on a medium size piece. “Mao, you have to check this one!”

“Well, I’m not all that--” Badgerclops interrupted him by putting the chocolate in his mouth anyways. As he was chewing it, he realized that it was a lot more sweet than the last one. “That one was pretty good!” He grabbed another piece and bit half of it. It was even sweeter than the last one! “Catch!” He threw it to Badgerclops, who catch it with his mouth. “MHM~”

They kept playing with the candies until there was only one left. They decided to play rock, paper, scissors to see who should keep it. As both were about to draw, Badgerclops said. ”What’s that.”

Mao Mao turned to his back. “Where?!”

Badgerclops hit Mao in the arm, forcing the cat to open his hand. He made a pair of scissors with his hand, and declared himself the winner. “Oh yeah, baby!” He picked up the chocolate and ate it.

Mao Mao jumped on him and screamed on his face, Badgerclops ignored him and began to hum ‘We are the champions.’

Adorabat just stared at them, still mad about the chocolates.


	10. Midnight kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided on going back to the angst, tell me what you think!

Mao Mao was in town, walking through the plaza. It was empty and quiet, like a ghost town of sorts. A cold breeze struck Mao Mao, who tried covering with his cape. He pulled it only to realize there wasn’t any. He looked at his hands and noticed his gloves missing too, not only that, but also his pants as well. ‘A-again?!’ He tried looking around for them, they were on the top of the fountain, just like last time. He jumped on the ornament and grabbed his clothes, quickly putting them on. He was about to jump off, until he saw something horrifying. The water of the fountain was replaced with a black void. Everything around him began to disappear, turning into smoke as if it never existed. He tripped and fell on to the void, he descended for a whole minute. Once he reached the bottom, he met his face with the floor, surprisingly unharmed. He got back up, and noticed he was on a familiar looking cave. Rocks began to drop from the ceiling, however, they were about ten times the size of our hero. Having no means of defending himself, he ran, reaching for the exit. A giant figure ran past him, followed by another one. He kept running with all the strength he had, until he reached one of the figures. The first one kept running, the second one to stopped, holding onto a boulder. “Wait--Wait!” Those were the words of the figure before he let go off the rock, making it fall on Mao Mao. The cat closed his eyes in fear, accepting his fate. Some time passed. Nervous, he opened his eyes to reveal his dad and all of his sisters staring at him. They were big, but not in a bizarre fashion like the last figures he saw. He took a glance at his clothes, it was his child attire, they were dirty and covered in mud. His sisters began to laugh, and his father scolded him.

“Oh Miu Miu, how do you expect to become a hero when you can’t stand up for yourself! Are you aware of what the name Mao means! The legacy of your ancestors, culminating in a  _ failure _ such as you?!”

Mao’s eyes began to flood, breathing became difficult, all he could do was sob. He cried, and cried, and cried. 

Out of nowhere, he heard a voice calling for him, a sweet, tender voice. It resembled his mother’s. “Mao Mao?”

He turned to the direction of the voice.

“Mao Mao?”

He tried to stand up, and dashed towards the voice.

“Are you okay?”

The voice was closer and closer, and he was progressively more desperate to reach it. He closed his eyes, and jumped, holding on to the voice’s body. He opened his eyes to see Badgerclops, who had an uneasy expression.

“I-Is everything alright?”

He held Badgerclops tighter, and tried to talk with a face full of tears. “I-I-I, Dad was- and then--”

“E-easy, I’m here for you. Okay?” He hugged Mao Mao, patting his head.

The cat nodded.

He gave him a soft, gentle kiss on his forehead. “Tell me everything you remember.”


	11. Stroll through the valley

10 o'clock in the morning, Mao Mao and Badgerclops had a big map of the whole valley displayed on the table. Mao was marking several locations, Clops just woke up, so he was puzzled by this. “Erm… What are you doing?”

“What does it look like?”

“You’re… doodling?”

Mao Mao gave him a cold stare. “You forgot.”

“Wh-What did I--”

“Last week, you promised me to take a walk with me!”

“Wh--How?!”

“I baked you a bunch of beignets and you ate them in one sit.”

“Oh, I remember now! Those were great Mao.” He scratched his belly.

“Well, since I knew you would forget.”

“Hey… You know me so well~”

“I made donuts!” He pulled out a paper bag from under the table. “Homemade, chocolate glazed donuts.”

“GIMME!” He put his hands on the table, and leaned towards the cat.

“No! I will give you one every time we cross one of these.” He pointed at the red dots on the map. “Got it?”

“I mean, sure. But why do you wanna hang out that much?”

“W-Well, we are a couple... right?” He blushed. “So, I thought it would be nice to have some time together, you know, like couples do...?”

“Oh, sure thing!” He gave a big, warm smile to his little lovebird.

Mao grabbed his hand tight, and gave him a smile as well.

They descended the mountain by foot, nothing all that interesting on that walk. The first hot spot, was the plaza. Mao Mao threw a donut directly to Badgerclops face, who just opened his mouth and swallowed it. “So, what do we do now?”

“Well, Badgerclops, the beauty of hanging out with one’s partner is to look back on all the funny memories you have with them.”

Badgerclops chuckled hard, but he got back his composure soon enough. “Are we going to remember that time you were fully naked on the plaza?” He tried to hide his laughter, but he bursted a few seconds after saying that.

“NO! SHUT UP!” Everyone around stared at the couple, Mao kicked Clops’ leg.

“Auch! Okay, okay, I get it.” He took a breath. “What about… Our first day here.”

“Yeah, it was nice to see everyone impressed with  _ my _ abilities.” He puffed out his chest.

“When Adorabat saved us. Oh man, she did pretty well for her first job.”

“Yeah, she has a knack for hero duty.”

“Oh, Oh. When we fought that Ice monster.”

“When I was sick?”

“It was the grossest thing ever! But I have to admit it, you’re cuter with your face all messed up~”

“Heh, and you didn’t look half bad when you were taking care of Bobo Chan in the woods!”

They shared a laugh and kept going with their stroll.

Next stop was the Sky Pirates hideout. They weren’t there to fight, they just wanted to mess with the guys for a bit. They hid around some bushes and creeped around the place. Orangusnake was looking around for something, giving them his back. Badgerclops decided to joke about it.“Here we have the unique  _ Snakus Apus. _ ” 

Mao realized what Clops was doing, and tried not to chuckle.

“They are really territorial, and can be a hassle to deal with them.”

Mao Mao decided to join in. “It’s well known that this species is idiotic, and can feed of off anything. It’s favorite meal, it’s the  _ hero fist-sandwich _ , and it can eat up to a hundred a day.”

“You morons do realize I can hear you, right?” Said the guy without turning to them.

“...No you don’t.” Said Mao Mao before Badgerclops grabbed him, grappling them out of there.

\----

They stopped by some more places, until the moon rose. The last place to visit, was the farmer’s bun farm. Badgerclops insisted in not going there, but Mao Mao convinced him with his last few donuts. They sneaked into Bun’s barn, where he had all of his stash of cobbler. Mao gently opened the door, and was amazed to see the barn filled with the forbidden meal. Badgerclops grabbed him by the shoulders before he had a chance to do anything. “Hold on, if we are going to break the law by stealing this food. Let a professional handle it~” He looked around the cobbler, trying to locate any sort of trap. He found none, so he used his robo-arm to grab a piece from the top, eating it in one bite. “Yep, perfectly safe!”

He grabbed another one and offered it to Mao Mao. “I don’t need you to feed me.”

“No, but I’m sure that if I let you go, you’ll end up trying to eat the everything.”

“... Good point.” He opened his mouth, and the Badger pushed the food in. They kept going like this for a while, until Badgerclops dropped some on Mao Mao’s head. “Watch it!”

“Sorry dude.”

Mao used his hand, picked up some of the rests on his head, and threw it to his partner. “Heh.”

“Hey! You did that on purpose.” 

“What are you gonna do about it?” Answered in a husky tone.

He grabbed more cobbler from the stash, and dumped on Mao Mao’s head. “We are even now.”

Mao Mao jumped out of Badgerclops hands, landing next to the barn door. He grabbed some cobbler, and began to throw it like kunais.

Badgerclops dodged some of the chunks and picked them up to throw them back.

They kept their little fight until they heard a familiar voice. “Who’s there?! Ouh, it better not be Pinky again.” As soon as they heard it, they ran back to HQ.


	12. Candy Heart Messages

Yet another slow day at the Sheriff's department. Badgerclops was chilling in the couch, alone, since Adorabat had a tea party with the other children. Suddenly, the door was slammed, and a giant bag tried to enter. Badgerclops opened his eye, wondering if he was dreaming or something, until he heard a familiar voice.  
“Haha! I just found the perfect challenge!” It was Mao Mao holding the sack, awkwardly trying to get in.   
The shape of the bag was making it hard to walk around the place, so the badger lent in a hand, putting it on the kitchen table. “So, care to explain, buddy?”  
“Oh, it’s nothing, you see. I thought of… How do I phrase it without sounding like a weirdo.” Mao walked to the kitchen. “Make me cry!”  
“...What?” Badgerclops stood up and got in the kitchen, concerned for his friend’s choice of words.  
“Listen, some sweetypies were selling these--” He opened the bag, revealing small heart-shaped candies. “--And I thought. ‘When was the last time I gave Badgerclops candies like these. In fact, has he ever gave me any?’ So, since they were selling these empty ones, I had the brilliant idea to turn a show of affection into a competence!”  
Badgerclops was trying his hardest to process what his partner just told him. Being unable to come up with a good joke and seeing those delicious little hearts he thought. ‘Why not?’ He grabbed a sit. “So, what do we do?”  
“Pretty simple. Each of us will grab one of these edible ink markers--” He pulled said items from his pocket. “--And we will write the most simple, beautiful and heart crushing messages we can. The first one to cry loses.” He handed a pink marker to Badgerclops.  
“Okay!” To be honest, he wasn’t all that interested in making Mao cry, he just wanted to enjoy his company while filling up in junk food. Sure, they do that almost everyday, but he’s fine with competing with him from time to time.

They both had quite a big pile in their side of the table. Mao Mao was waiting for Badgerclops to finish his last message, and once he did, Mao said. “Could you make the honors?” And extended his opened hand.  
“Here!” He gave him one.  
‘Love u.’ “How sweet.” Said Mao Mao before tossing it on his mouth. The taste of the candy was actually kind of weird, not bad but it was… odd.  
“Your turn.” He extended his hand.  
Mao gave him a candy.  
‘1 eye big heart.’ “Aww....” He ate it like nothing. However, the flavor wasn’t all that sweet, it was kind of sour actually.  
Mao Mao just extended his hand, Badgerclops gave him one. ‘strong cutie.’ He chew it, but there was that awful taste that again.  
The badger extended his arm, and the cat passed him another one. ‘nice curves.’ Bagerclops licked the candy and, what do you know, it was terrible. “Mao Mao, where did you buy this?”  
“I bought them from Muffin’s bakery. I thought she was good with confectionery, but I guess not.”  
He licked the back of the candy, just to make sure. But as he expected, it actually tasted good. He looked around for his marker, upon looking at it, he noticed the label of the marker was poorly glued. He peeled it and realized that it was fake! That wasn’t edible, it was just a common ink based marker. “Umm, Mao Mao. Who sold you the markers?”  
“I think it was Pinky. Why?”  
“Did you actually paid that guy for this?!”  
“Well, he did seem pretty honest with the way he sold them to me. But now that I think about it he was insisting me on not to check the labels.” They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds. “I’ll chop his little head off!”  
“Coming with you.”


	13. Engagement

Badgerclops was alone at HQ, and it seemed like he was just done baking. He was decorating a small cake with pastry bitumen, placing cherries on top of it. “He’ll love it!” Said as he placed the last cherry.

At that moment, he heard the aerocycle parking outside the house. He removed his apron, placed a note next to the cake, and ran off to the dojo.

Mao Mao entered the house, and the first thing he saw, was the cake. He went to the kitchen and saw the note. ‘I’m going for some supplies, you can eat some, just save some for me and Adorabat.’ So, Mao Mao grabbed a plate, and cut part of it with Geraldine. However, something began to drip out of the cut, it was the indistinguishable color of Badgerclops’ cobbler. He glanced back at the note, but he couldn’t let go the opportunity of filling with Badgerclops mighty pastry. “I-I’m sure it’ll be fine. Besides, who’s going to stop  _ me! _ ” He dropped both his sword and the plate, and began to chow down on the cobbler, using only his hands.

Badgerclops was hiding, and he couldn’t see that the cat was eating like a real animal. He chuckled some, waiting for his partner to realize what was hidden inside the cake.

Mao Mao straight up raised the whole table and swallowed the rests of the cake. After licking the small chunks that were left on the table, Mao felt guilty. He decided to sit on the couch and think of a way to explain his behavior to his deputies.

Badgerclops was confused, he was sure he put the ring inside the cake. But assumed that Mao Mao knew that he was hiding, so he decided to come out. “I accept!”

Mao jolted and turned around. “B-Badgerclops?! Didn’t you say you were going to leave?”

“I was lying, obviously. Wait, where’s the ring?”

“RING?”

“YOU ATE THE RING?!”

“WAS THERE A RING ON THE COBBLER?!”

“YES!”

“WHY?!”

“BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A NICE WAY OF MAKING YOU PROPOSE TO ME!”

“HOW WAS MAKING ME EAT A RING A GOOD IDEA?”

“IT SOUNDED CUTE IN MY HEAD, LEAVE ME ALONE!” He ran off back to the dojo while fake crying, leaving Mao Mao confused and worried.

He was mad, but soon realized that he could easily spit out the ring like with his binoculars. And he did just that. The ring was quite big, obviously intended for the badger’s claws. He went to the bathroom and made sure to clean it properly, and once it was shiny again, he went back to the living room. He tiptoed inside the dojo, where Badgerclops was facing the view of the lookout. He approached him, but his partner interrupted him, without turning around.

“You’re doing it wrong dude.”

“Huh?”

“You’re supposed to bend your knee.”

“Oh-Right!” He bent his left knee, and hid the ring between his hands. “Badgerclops.”

He turned around, and placed his hands on his face. “Oh! Mao Mao, I can’t believe this is happening!?”

“Would you be by my side for the rest of my days?”

“YES!” He grabbed the ring, helped Mao stand up and jumped on his arms. He then gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“S-So. How did I do it?”

“Meh, six out of ten.”

Mao Mao dropped badgerclops and went back to the living room.


	14. I love you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been quite a wild ride for me. Thank you everyone who read this and Thank you Mao Mao’s mother! It’s late, but I hope everyone had an amazing Valentine’s day!

Late night, Mao Mao was meditating in the dojo, alone with the cold breeze. He was looking back on his days as a kid, as a young hero, and finally, to where he is now. Unlike before, he was actually happy to think about what he went through. Why? Because one way or another, they led to this moment. Sure, there were tears of all kind, pain, grief, but he was ready to put all that behind. He had found someone who was there for him, someone he could talk to, someone he could love. And speaking of which, he heard the particular sounds of his lover’s footsteps. He played it cool, ignoring the obvious tiptoes the big guy was trying to move with.

Badgerclops dropped, sitting on the floor and grabbing Mao Mao by the waist. “Hello, my kitty cat~” He hugged him tight, rubbing chin against the small one’s head. “Feeling lonely?”

“Heh, no. Not really.”

“Then why are you here?”

“I just felt like taking some air.”

“Mind if I stay here?”

“Not at all.” They sat quietly, enjoying each other’s company, chilling to the sounds of their breathing. 

They stayed like this for awhile, until Badgerclops began to fake snore. He loudly made sure that his partner was hearing, just to mess with him.

“You can go to sleep whenever you want, Badgerclops.”

“Sure, but it’s not the same if you’re not there, Mao.”

The cat liked the sound of that. ‘It’s not the same without you.’ He smiled to himself. “Say, when was the last time you bugged me like this?”

“Oof, how bold!” He chuckled a little. “I dunno, I thought you liked it.”

“I don’t like being annoyed, you know?”

“Then why haven’t you punched me or something?”   
“Because I like you, dum dum.”

“Ah?! Is that what I think it is?”

Mao Mao was confused by the badger’s reaction. “What do you mean?”

“Are you going to say it?”

“Wh-What do I have to say?”

“Three words~”

“I like you...?”

“Close, but wrong.”

“I hate you…?”

“You’re just messing with me now.”

“I know, I know. I just thought it would make me seem cooler if I didn’t say it right away.”

“What are you waiting for then--”

“Iloveyou.”

“Huh? I-I’m sorry, I wasn’t--”

“Iloveyou.”

“Hey! At least let me--”

“ILOVEYOUILOVEYOUILOVEYOU!!!”

He tried covering his mouth, but ended up bursting a good laughter. “I didn’t know you loved me  _ that much! _ ”

“Oh, forget it!”

“I love you too, Mao Mao.”

“I love you.”

“Hey, you finally said it right.”

“Yeah, I guess I did.” 

“Do it again, one last time. Please!” 

“...” 

“Pretty, please?” 

“...I love you, Badgerclops.” He blushed.

Badgerclops let go off Mao Mao, and let himself fall on the floor. “That’s it, your love is too powerful. I’m dead now, and you’ll have to take me to my bunk~”


End file.
